Who Should I Start? Javonte Williams or Elijah Mitchell

Monday, January 20, 6:15 PM

The Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson writes that the Denver Broncos are not expected to re-sign impending free-agent running back Javonte Williams this offseason. Williams, a former second-round pick in 2021 out of North Carolina, entered the 2024 season as the team's unquestioned lead back, but poor efficiency on the ground led to the Broncos going with a committee approach in the backfield halfway through the year that also involved Jaleel McLaughlin and rookie Audric Estime. The 24-year-old came into the NFL as a bruising, tackle-breaking lead-back option for Denver, but since suffering a torn ACL in his sophomore season in 2022, he has not been the same, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry while combining for 1,287 rushing yards and only seven rushing TDs the last two seasons. Despite leading Denver with 513 rushing yards in 2024, Williams will likely struggle to find a lead-back role on the open market.

Tuesday, August 27, 5:07 PM

The San Francisco 49ers placed running back Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) on Injured Reserve on Tuesday, and his 2024 season is over. Mitchell, who was projected as the team's RB2, has dealt with injury problems throughout his career, having never played more than 11 games in a year. Jordan Mason is now expected to be the 49ers' RB2 behind Christian McCaffrey (calf) with Mitchell sidelined. Rookie Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr. will also see an uptick in playing time behind McCaffrey and Mason with Mitchell now done for the year.